Playing and Eating and Playing

Maya has really become so playful as she gets older, and it's really fun to see her personality coming out more and more, especially with the warm weather that we're finally getting. She loves the toys at daycare, as seen in these photos from yesterday:

In fact, the sad expression on her face in the last photo was a result of my saying that we had to leave in two minutes. Thanks to Chethu Auntie for the cute shirt and Srimoyee Auntie for the cute skirt in those photos!

Maya also enjoys eating, especially when it's fun foods like noodles, which we had for dinner last night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxIlOhwDobY. She's also getting better at saying "more" or "mas" (the Spanish version) when asking for food.

Tonight Maya was goofing off after dinner, giving her doggie a ride on a truck: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj2h5N4k7Cs. I was getting most of it on video until she noticed me and got distracted. Those of you with sharp eyes will also notice the fence in the background of the video; we finally had to put that up around our tv and stereo because Maya finds all the buttons and knobs irresistible.

Tea at the Taj

Earlier today we enjoyed a fancy tea at The Taj hotel in downtown Boston with our good friends Ken and Marilyn. I'd been there once before with Hyder, and this time we decided to take Maya with us too. I'm happy to report that no fine china was damaged during our visit, and we tried to minimize the crumbs that ended up on the floor. The staff there was very welcoming toward us, and even gave Maya some crayons and a coloring book, as well as a bowl of O's. Maya was also fascinated by the violinist who was performing, so she was entertained.

As usual, the food and drinks were delicious. We had some great savory sandwiches with cucumber, egg salad, and more; I was too busy eating them to take a photo. We also had some lovely sweet treats:

Maya (in her adorable new dress from Aunt Sidney and her adorable tights from Aunt Marilyn) enjoyed walking around and exploring with Dada:

And at the end of tea, she got hold of my credit card so she could pay:

She then managed to also grab hold of Uncle Ken's credit card:

Maya then sat with Aunt Marilyn for a minute before starting her squirming:

And finally settled down with Dada while she munched on a cracker:

All in all, it was a great afternoon!

Blackberries! The Fruits, Not the Smartphones

Maya is a big fan of most fruits, berries especially. Tonight's dessert consisted of blackberries, which she loves. Here she is looking excited about eating one:

And here's her little purple tongue, stained from the blackberries:

We've also been trying to get her to do the sign for "More" as well as say the word. She did it once, and of course stopped saying it once I tried to get it on video. I did get a clip of her very enthusiastic attempts at saying some word that started with an M: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdqL8NOOGY0.

Of Bananas and Monkeys, Plus New Shoes

Not much going on here over the weekend - we were all sick so we mostly just rested. I think we all have the same virus, but we each have different symptoms. I get headaches and a sore throat, Hyder gets chest congestion with coughing and sneezing, and Maya gets nasal congestion with a runny nose and a cough. Fortunately, Hyder and I are feeling better. Unfortunately, Maya's cold has developed into an ear infection so she's now on antibiotics. She was in a better mood today than yesterday, so that's good at least.

As a result, the only recent pictures are of bananas and monkeys:

And of course as the title indicates, she's got new shoes:

They're adorable mini Airwalks and she seems to be very proud of her stylish little feet. One day I'll get a photo of her actually wearing them.

Happy Mother's Day!

I was treated to a few lovely gifts this year on Mother's Day. I received a beautiful handmade card from Maya:

Of course, I'll treasure it forever!

I also received some beautiful flowers from Maya and Hyder:

I also got to sleep in over the weekend, and we had a lovely lunch at a cafe. We also enjoyed watching The Derby with friends last Saturday, and tried to have a sushi dinner Sunday night, but Maya was tired and cranky. Most importantly: I didn't have to change any stinky diapers last weekend! :) Many thanks to my loving husband for that last one.

In other news, Maya's been talking more and more. She's started saying ball, more, bye, yeah, and no. She's also been imitating lots of sound effects like moo, woof, caw, baa, and more.

Playing and Walking and Talking

Maya has gotten really playful recently - she's such a fun little kid! We try to make the most of the time we have with her, with every attempt to maximize smiles and giggles. :)

After dinner one night last week, we got Maya cleaned up and she got on her truck, which is a favorite. Many thanks to her buddy Erica (and her mom Kathryn) for loaning us this great toy! Thanks also to our neighbor Marilyn for the cute shirt:

Dada got in on the fun and made a bridge for Maya to go under on her truck:

After this, we proceeded to take turns chasing her and tickling her until she giggled:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Duy3k_xTkJo and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuLDHfOoSdI. 

A couple days later Maya was playing with her musical instruments and decided to climb inside the box. I cannot imagine how this was comfortable, but she seemed happy enough:

Later that day she demonstrated one of her latest words, and took a walk around the house with Dada:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gm3rCaV9-8

Happy Birthday to Dada!

We celebrated Dada's birthday last week with a few different meals. First up was a feast from RedBones:
 

Maya really seemed to enjoy the side of beans:

As well as the mac n cheese:

We also had a delicious dinner at Rendezvous in Cambridge a couple days later:

And he got a tasty home-cooked brunch a couple days after that!